For years, Ezer Mizion's Malka Hager Fitness Center (MHFC) walking groups for senior citizens have been meeting regularly each week for an hour of invigorating walking, healthy movement and good company. The energizing walk on park paths surrounded by the beauty of nature is a sure formula for rejuvenation and fitness.

Recently, the walking program integrated a new technique called "Nordic Walking", a sport resembling cross-country skiing, which involves walking with the help of two poles that facilitate movement of the upper torso.

The technique has a dual purpose: improving posture and balance - especially helpful for the elderly and for people who are recovering from leg injury - and muscle strengthening which is appropriate for young, healthy people as well. After just a month of Nordic walking, the women are sold on it.

One 90-year-old woman, whose back was stooped to one side as a result of years walking with a cane, has noticeably straightened up, enhancing her physical and emotional well-being!

Another participant, a mother of young children who comes to accompany her elderly mother on the walks, insists on being assigned her own pair of Nordic poles. "It has done wonders for my back!," she says.

The program's success has encouraged MHFC director to incorporate the technique in additional walking groups.